British Airways PLC (BA) is partnering with LanzaJet Inc for sustainable aviation fuel as part of the carrier’s plans to decarbonize by 2050, amid rising pressure on the aviation industry to cut emissions.
The US start-up is to supply ethanol-derived fuel from its Freedom Pines Fuels facility in Georgia, and British Airways would use it to power some flights starting late next year, the companies said in a statement yesterday.
As part of the collaboration, British Airways is to invest in LanzaJet and the start-up is to conduct early stage planning to set up a larger biofuel facility in the UK.
Aircraft manufacturers and airlines face growing public pressure over their emissions, which added more than 1 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere in 2019, according to BloombergNEF.
Airbus SE has said it would develop a range of hydrogen-powered aircraft that could reach the skies by 2035, and Boeing Co has set a target of designing and certifying its jetliners to fly on 100 percent sustainable fuels by 2030.
British Airways and LanzaJet did not provide financial details of their agreement.
The airline’s parent, IAG SA, has said it plans to invest US$400 million in the development of sustainable aviation fuel over the next 20 years as part of a plan to achieve zero net emissions by 2050.
British Airways is also developing a sustainable fuel plant in the UK with Velocys PLC that could begin producing jet fuel from 2025.
LanzaJet was started last year by Illinois-based LanzaTech Inc with investments from Canada’s Suncor Energy Inc and Japan’s Mitsui & Co.
LanzaJet plans to develop four larger plants to produce sustainable jet fuel as well as renewable diesel.
Separately, Delta Air Lines Inc on Monday said it would continue to block some seats on all flights in the US through spring break and Easter to provide more space between passengers.
The Atlanta, Georgia-based airline announced that it would limit capacity on flights through April 30.
Delta said it would block middle seats in most cabins, although groups of three or more passengers can choose to sit together.
A Delta official, Bill Lentsch, said the airline would monitor virus cases and vaccination rates as it reassesses its seating policy.
Airlines that no longer block seats cite research by the Pentagon’s transport command and others that concluded that the risk of transmitting COVID-19 during a flight is very low.
Additional reporting by AP
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